If yours are of the latter variety, your main problem is to keep
clear of them. If not, your problem comes at Christmas when they
may be destined for the table. If you have had geese happily
chortling around the house for several months, the silence when
they disappear is horrible. However, if that is what they were
bought for in the first place — to fatten and sell — you must steel
yourself and make someone's Christmas special by providing an
excellent goose. Be warned, geese are the worst birds to pluck. It
really takes three pluckings: the first for the feathers, the next for
the down and the last to remove the little quills, forerunners of
further feathers. A badly plucked goose is reminiscent of a hedge-
hog and will probably put off a first-time goose-eater for the rest
of his life.

Geese can be kept for profit in several ways:

For table eating, traditionally at Christmas (Thanksgiving fare is
also goose). Goose used to be eaten at Michaelmas but this is not
often celebrated today. There is movement afoot to encourage the
use of goose as a celebration bird throughout the year.

For egg sales, either to owners of incubators or broody hens or
to egg-painters — the egg is blown empty and then painted and
decorated.

For breeding, to provide goslings for sale.

For selling as pets. Geese are very effective orchard-mowers and
watchdogs; you are instantly aware of intruders when the geese set
up a clamour and very often they frighten off the unwanted
visitors (of course, sometimes they frighten off the welcome ones
as well!).